The Escape Artist
"The Escape Artist" is the fifth episode of the second season of Bates Motel. It aired on March 31, 2014. Synopsis Norman trusts Cody with a family secret. Dylan finds himself fighting for his life as Zane’s war escalates. Norma makes a deal with a mysterious man to help stop the bypass. Summary Cody and Norman are in the car. She's asking if he's okay, fills him on what happened, and asks if this has ever happened before. He lies and says it hasn't. He asks her not to tell Norma because she'll be worried. She says she's not really the kind of person who does that. Dylan is sleeping in the pot warehouse. Remo wakes him by pouring water on his head. He informs Dylan of Romero's house being burnt. They figure that Zane did it. Dylan wonders what they're going to do. Remo says he's the boss so he should figure it out. Zane arrives and invites Dylan to lunch at a Mexican place in town to talk business. He doesn't invite Remo only Dylan. But before he can meet anyone, Zane runs into Romero who promptly kicks the crap out of him and says he will bury him and his business. Zane shows up at the Mexican restaurant all beat up. He winks at Dylan and tells him Romero beat him up. Zane says it was expected but worth every minute of the beating. They finish lunch and leave and suddenly a car pulls up and starts shooting at them. They hit the deck, and as the car pulls away, Dylan shoots at the car. The car turns back around for another try and Dylan heads to the middle of the road and shoots at it. The car hits him and he lays in the street injured and unconscious. He wakes up in the hospital and an attractive woman, who apparently is part of the family that runs the drug operation and is Zane's sister, thanks him for his service to the business and that they are going to take care of all of his expenses. She says she just wanted to meet the famous Dylan Massett. He asks who she is and she says she is his boss. Norma is making breakfast when Norman enters. She tells him Dylan moved out. Norman wants to get him to come back but Norma angrily says there's nothing they can do and it's just the two of them and they have to move on. Later, Romero shows up and checks in. He tells Norma about the fire. She is freaked out and not particularly compassionate about it and wonders who would do such a thing to him. He says he will need to stay for a few months and doesn't want to talk about it. He asks for privacy. Norma calls Nick Ford and requests a meeting to discuss how to combat the bypass. He says he has some ideas and invites her to his houseboat at the yacht club at 2:30. Norman leafs through a book in the office when Emma comes in. She asks about Dylan and gets angry when Norman won't explain why Dylan moved out. Gunner comes in and asks Emma out on a real date after work to walk on the beach. Norman asks after him and Emma is tight-lipped. Norman notes he sells pot and she says no one's perfect. She notes that Cody has just driven up, blaring loud music from her beater and smoking. Norma tries to talk to her and Cody is flip and rude to her. It's clear that Norma doesn't approve. Norman returns and they jump in the car and take off. Emma goes to Norma, of all people, for advice. She asks about what it's like to lose your virginity. Norma wonders why. Emma says she's met someone who she really likes and is thinking about it but she just doesn't have a mother or a close girlfriend to ask and when she Googled it what she read scared her. Norma says if she has feelings for the boy and he's a good person the first time should be lovely. She asks if she needs a lecture on birth control and STDs. Emma says no. Norma kisses Emma's forehead. Emma goes for her walk with Gunner. He tells her his dreams of opening up his very own pot farm. She admires his dreams. They make out. Later they head back to the motel and sleep together. Norma heads over to Nick Ford's very fancy boat, dubbed Amnesia IV, complete with servants and armed guards. Nick Ford says he's still in awe of her going off on Lee Berman at the city council. She says he is probably pretty powerful. He says he may be but it doesn't work that way and he's too mixed up with everything that goes on in the town. He notes with no position or power she has nothing to lose by going up against him and as a young mother fighting for her business she has a good story. He says not to worry about Lee Berman and that he has a plan to, if not stop, at least stall the bypass. They toast to "doing what's right." He gives her a name and address of a man he says will help them. She thanks him and he says she's a charming woman with whom it will be a real pleasure to work. Norma goes to see the man who is some kind of environmental scientist who has cooked up some bogus wildlife study that will show that the bypass is displacing some rare wild animal, the Pistol River pocket gopher, and therefore must be stopped. He tells her all she has to do is file that with city hall and it should trigger and injunction for awhile. She heads back to the motel and chats with Romero who has an injured hand and a scratch on his head from the beating he gave to Zane. He asks where his clothes are, she says she washed them. He is annoyed. She makes him come to the house so she can tend to his wounds. She asks why he had to beat up someone. He says he has his reasons. She wonders why he has to be stoic all the time, says it's boring. He says sometimes it's necessary. She recounts beating up her real estate agent and he gives a little grin. She notes that he smiled and he disagrees. She calls him contrary. He notes she is too. She says she's trying to change and make friends and asks if he knows Nick Ford. Romero stiffens and says Ford is in the drug business and she should stay away from him at all costs. She gives him his laundry and he says to never do it again. She heads down to City Hall triumphant and tells the clerk to tell Lee Berman that she said hello. Cody and Norman are supposed to be picking up lumber to help build sets but Cody forgot the money and has to go home and get it. She tells Norman to stay in the car after they pull up to her dilapidated house but he goes to eavesdrop anyway and he overhears her father yelling at her and potentially even hitting her. She is mad he overheard. She says she doesn't want to go to the lumber store and wants to just take off with the $600 bucks. Norman notes that Norma would put out an amber alert in a hot second if he did. She says she wants to show him something else instead. She takes him through the woods, talking about her terrible dad and she says she will leave when she's 18 and hitchhike down the coast to Mexico. He confesses that he feels safe with her and that he has in fact experienced the blackouts before. She leads him to a treehouse. They decide to make out, and eventually disrobe implying that they slept together. When he gets home Norma tells him to stay away from Cody as she's a bad influence. He agrees that he will stay away except at tech rehearsals for the play. Norma looks from the office door as Romero pulls back up at the hotel. She asks him what's the matter. He tells her that Lee Berman died in a car crash. Cast Main Cast * Vera Farmiga as Norma Bates * Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates * Max Thieriot as Dylan Massett * Olivia Cooke as Emma Decody * Nestor Carbonell as Alex Romero Guest Stars * Michael Eklund as Zane Morgan * Paloma Kwiatkowski as Cody Brennen * Michael O'Neill as Nick Ford * Kathleen Robertson as Jodi Morgan * Ian Tracey as Remo Wallace Also Starring * Keenan Tracey as Gunner * Michael Rogers as Jimmy Brennen * Geoff Gustafson as Brian Fuller * Sarah Ann Hayward as City Hall Assistant * Sunita Prasad as Andrea Notes *This episode had 2.27 million viewers. Music Videos Bates Motel 2x05 Promo 1 "The Escape Artist" Bates Motel Dylan Is In A Shoot Out (S2, E5) Bates Motel Norma Meets With Nick Ford (S2, E5) Bates Motel Inside The Episode The Escape Artist (S2, E5) Gallery theescapeartist.jpg escapeartist1.jpg theescapeartist2.jpg theescapeartist3.jpg theescapeartist4.jpg theescapeartist5.jpg theescapeartist6.jpg theescapeartist7.jpg Category:Episodes Category:Season 2 Episodes